


The Test

by ArtistAtHeart1



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blind Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger Has Issues, Gen, Hurt Ezra Bridger, Much Needed Editing, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Parental Kanan Jarrus, Post-Episode: s03e03 The Holocrons of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28327959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtistAtHeart1/pseuds/ArtistAtHeart1
Summary: After the events of The Holocrons of Fate, not everything is as it seemed.  Ezra is through into chaos causing him to fall into a coma.  According to Bendu, it's more than meets the eye.A revised/updated version of a fic on Fanfiction.net.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Kanan Jarrus, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Kudos: 28





	The Test

Carrying Ezra's unconcious frame in the dead of night was not something that Kanan had predicted. It had been a few days since Maul and Ezra tried to combine the two holocrons, and it was understandable that exhaustion, both physically and mentally, would eventually set in. The unplanned hostage situation and resulting fusion attempt was stressful on everyone. However, while that initially appeared normal enough, Kanan couldn't help but sense something more troublesome just below the surface. Ezra wasn't eating as much and seemed a lot more tired than normal. He became a bit feverish after the first day, and his once balanced force signature was all over the place. Where this sudden chaos was coming from was curious.

Then there was the pain two days later. No one could find anything abnormal, not knowing what was causing Ezra's discomfort. However, Ezra tried to explain it as best as he could. It felt like something was crawling inside of him, wanting to escape, and Ezra was doing everything in his power to stop it. Suppressing the force inside of him was getting progressively more difficult as it tried to escape. What this force was, if it was even real, wasn't something Ezra could pinpoint. He wanted to give it another day. Maybe it was stress from attempting to fuse the holocrons, or so Ezra wished to speculate, and his system was trying to balance itself out. The following day, a sudden occurrence came to fruition when Ezra entered Kanan's room for a conversation. With the struggle not clearing up in the slightest, Ezra wanted to approach Kanan to get help with his current state. Maybe it was something relating to the Force, or something the others couldn't quite sense like a Jedi could. But before they could test his theory, Ezra fainted.

Knowing that this couldn't go on any longer, Kanan had to take Ezra to the only person who could possibly have the answers. The only person who might be able to provide some knowledge that was missed by everyone else. Someone who was more of a neutral party that could be as blunt as needed. Bendu. It didn't take long for Kanan to find the crater like plain that housed the giant being, and thankfully, Ezra remained comfortably unconscious in Kanan's tiring arms.

"Bendu!" Kanan called out. "I'm here for your guidance!"

There was nothing but silence. Kanan thought that Bendu may not of heard him. That, or he was ignoring him.

"Bendu!"

He was greeted by another wave of silence, before shaking in the ground erupted. Bendu made his presence known to the blind Jedi, slowly but surely turning to face him. He appeared unimpressed, and a touch annoyed by the disturbance. But when he saw Ezra in Kanan's arms, curiosity was added to the mix. It wasn't something Bendu expected, almost prompting him to assume that Kanan had come to him alone. He could vaguely sense something troubling, but Bendu was not about to make assumptions without an explanation from Kanan first.

"What brings you here at such a late hour Kanan Jarrus?" Bendu greeted. "And why do you carry your student with you?"

"It's actually Ezra that brings me here." Kanan stated, gently placed the unconscious teen on the ground. "He is unwell."

"I am no medic Kanan Jarrus. You should not waste time time coming to me with such trivial matters."

"I'm sure you can sense that this is no physical sickness. If not, than trust me when I say it isn't."

"Explain."

"He has been suffering from physical and mental exhaustion the last few days. However, his force signature is out of balance, chaotically whirling about. I can barely explain what's going on myself, especially since he came to me for help, only for him to collapsed."

Focusing a bit more on Ezra, Bendu tried to gauge what Kanan was referring to. He could sense something was out of balance in regards to the boy's force sensitivity. He could feel Ezra's light battling it out for dominance with a darker force. Said darker force felt powerful and foreign. And while Bendu was familiar with Ezra's darker emotions, the darkness inside of Ezra felt unique. Like it was not his own. Bendu had just seen the two a few days prior, and what he felt from Ezra then and now was different. There was only one thing that happened between then and now that Bendu could theorize as the cause.

"He tried to fuse the holocrons, didn't he?" Bendu observed.

"Yes." Kanan grimly confirmed.

"Do you mind if I examine him? If that is the case, I may need to inspect your padawan a little more closely."

"Go ahead."

Kanan took a few steps towards Bendu and set Ezra down before taking a few steps back. Bendu softly placed the tip of his finger barely above Ezra, prompting Kanan to subconsciously, and anxiously jump. Ezra's frailty concerning Kanan, even if Kanan knew Bendu was not trying to hurt Ezra. Thought he didn't show it, Bendu acknowledged Kanan's motion, well aware that it was not one out of spite. A small smile graced Bendu, fascinated by Kanan's concern, before turning his attention back to Ezra. Bendu scanned the boy, searching for a problem. Several moments passed before Bendu vocally noticed anything, removing his figure in the process.

"Ah, there's the problem." Bendu realized.

"What is it?" Kanan asked.

"It would appear that attempting to combine the two holocrons not only effected the holocrons themselves, but your student as well. It would appear that a small fragment of this Maul character's essence was transferred over to your student."

Kanan was puzzled by Bendu's revelation. Maul was involved, that much was true, but what it had to do with Ezra's condition felt odd. He didn't even think the Zabrak was capable of such trickery.

"What do you mean?" Kanan inquired.

"Combining holocrons is a tricky business, as I warned you. You never truly know what the effects will be." Bendu briefly eyed Ezra. "Because your student is still young, his resistance to the force surrounding him is not as strong as those who have spent decades training with it. It would appear that this former Sith's essence has worked his way into young Ezra. I sense strains of both his force signature and Maul's seeping out ever so slightly."

"So how has that effected Ezra's current predicament?"

"His body, for lack of a better word, has shut down. He's trying to fight off the invading essence. However, fending off such a strong presence is a struggle. That is why he has been exhausted as you have noted."

"Has fusing the holocrons effected Maul the same way?"

"Because of his mastery of the force and his stronger will, no he will not. Or if he is, there is no way to confirm if he would not be exhibiting a similar ailment in his absence."

Kanan let out a distressed sigh. Neither answers were what he wanted. He appreciated the clarity, but the cause of Ezra's issues was an unwanted one. Maul was a thorn in their side, and probably always would be. Kanan just wished that this wasn't one of those times. It also left Kanan with another question.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Kanan questioned.

"As of this moment, no." Bendu denied. "All you can do is wait. Let him rest. Let him try to recover. Your student has strength, but I would be concerned about the temptation to accept this Sith's presence. If the pain becomes too much, he may accept it to stop the pain. If that were to happen, I know not what the outcome will be."

Kanan gave a grim nod. It may have not been the answer that he wanted, but it was an answer none the less. This was going to be a long road ahead for Ezra. One that he hoped that he would succeed on. Picking Ezra up, Kanan thanked Bendu and left.

~

It would be a good two weeks before Ezra would show progress. He stayed in his coma like state for the entire duration, but that did not stop the distress the Ghost Crew was feeling, nor did it stop him from thrashing about as he fought off the invader. The only thing keeping Ezra from hurting himself was Kanan, who was tasked to watch over him. He was the only person who was alleviating Ezra's struggle, his hand on Ezra's shoulder was all the boy needed to calm down. It was because of this that Ezra was transferred to Kanan's room. but as the second week began to finish up, Ezra's struggles stopped. Consciousness finally came back to Ezra as he slowly and groggily woke up. He slowly propped himself up.

"You're finally awake?" Kanan noticed.

"Yeah." Ezra confirmed with a yawn. "How long have I been out?"

"Two weeks."

Ezra looked at Kanan puzzled. Two weeks sounded so foreign to him, and like he had fallen asleep only hours ago. Granted, it probably didn't feel that long for him given he was unconscious for it, but that was the truth. Ezra wrapped his head around the thought, Kanan was left with a question. 

"Is he gone?" Kanan inquired.

Ezra gave Kanan a confused look.

"Bendu told me about what combining the holocron did to you. How part of Maul found its way into you because of it. Now that you're conscious, and in the clear, I have to know, is he gone?"

Ezra took a moment to think about Kanan's statement. Recalling how he felt before collapsing, he tried to piece together what had happened between then and now. The physical and mental pains he had gone through. It was a bit jumbled, but Ezra made an attempt to clear his mind so he could properly answer his master. He recalled feeling an unwanted, but familiar aura. Maul's unsurprisingly. After a few moments of silent contimplation, Ezra was comfortable enough to give him an answer. 

"Yes," Ezra confirmed, "but it wasn't easy."

Ezra went on to explain how Maul interacted with his mind. It was dark, but Ezra was able to make out Maul's figure. Maul tried to bribe him over to his side with the promise of defeating the Sith and avenging his parents. When his words did not persuade Ezra, attacks started. Ezra defended himself against the blows, thankful he wasn't thrashing his lightsaber at him. Then there were the threats. Threats that included taking over Ezra's body to kill everyone on the Ghost. Ezra tried to ignore his threats, arguing that he would never let them happen. Ezra was able to withstand Maul's attacks until that portion of Maul's signature started to get weary. Once an opportunity presented itself, Ezra was able to banish it from his mind, pushing it away with a stable and strong push with Force. With Maul gone, a light began to shine.

"After that, I heard Bendu's voice." Ezra stated.

"What did he say?" Kanan curiously inquired, not expecting Ezra to hear Bendu.

"Just that I passed the test. The test against the temptation of the Dark Side. He did however leave a warning. He told me this would not be the last that harder tests were on the horizon. He told me to be vigilant and cautious. To be strong. That only I can decide the outcome of and that the path ahead was my own.'"


End file.
